Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Wagner Group?
Yevgeny Prigozhin is a Russian businessman and entrepreneur. He was born on June 1, 1961, in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia). Prigozhin gained prominence as the owner and founder of the Concord Catering company, which has been involved in providing catering services to the Russian government.
Prigozhin is also known for his connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is often referred to as “Putin’s chef” due to his close ties to the Russian leader. Prigozhin’s catering company has reportedly catered events for Putin and has been awarded government contracts.
Beyond the catering business, Prigozhin has been linked to various other ventures. One of the most notable is the Internet Research Agency (IRA), which is a Russian organization involved in online influence operations and has been implicated in attempts to interfere in foreign elections, including the 2016 United States presidential election.
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In February 2018, Prigozhin and several other individuals and entities associated with the IRA were indicted by the United States Department of Justice as part of the Special Counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Due to his alleged involvement in activities related to election interference and disinformation campaigns, Prigozhin has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union. These sanctions have included freezing his assets and restricting his travel.
It’s important to note that Prigozhin has denied the accusations against him and has claimed that he has no connection to the IRA or any interference in foreign elections.
